The present invention relates to an interface system which interacts with a transaction system, and more particularly, to an interface system which is mounted on or in a vehicle and which enables an occupant of the vehicle to engage in a transaction with a vehicle accessible transaction system, for example a drive-through teller at a bank, savings and loan institution, a drive-through food service, or the like.
More and more transactions occur in vehicles. Drive-through food services have been available since at least the 1950's. Since that time, the drive-through phenomena has even reached the sale of pharmaceuticals and soft drinks and other beverages. Today, most gasoline sales are made through electronic gas pumps which accept credit and debit cards. In addition to sales transactions, more and more vehicle occupants engage in banking transactions either through a bank teller window or a remote electronic bank teller or cash machine. While the advent of drive-through-point-of-sale transactions has increased the speed at which the consumer can engage in such transactions, there is a certain level of comfort which is forfeited, especially in climates with extreme temperatures. In order to engage in many such transactions, the window of the vehicle must be lowered for extended periods of time in order to engage in the initial sales transaction and then for the receipt of the goods. Therefore, in hotter or colder climates, the open window can create discomfort for the occupants of the vehicle.
In addition to the time that is required to engage in the financial portion of the transaction and the discomfort which may be experienced when the window is open for an extended period, occupants of vehicles are also exposed to security risks. This is especially true with drive-through-banking-transactions with remote bank tellers or cash machines. More and more, people are approached while there window is down or when they are queued up between two stationary cars. With the window down for extended periods, vehicle occupants are exposed to greater risk of harmful contact with aggressors who may be seeking to steal their bank or credit card, or money which is dispensed from a remote teller or cash machine.
Consequently, there is a need to increase the speed of the financial portion of such transactions and to increase the security associated with such transactions. By increasing the speed of the transaction, the window of opportunity for a thief is reduced and, as an added benefit, the through-put of any individual remote point of sale business is increased. Preferably, such a system will enable the occupant of the vehicle to remain in the car with the windows rolled up and to complete a significantly large portion of the transaction so that the window needs to remain open only for a short duration during the transfer of goods or money.